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How are Solar and Oil Connected?

Gas Prices in 2011 Will Shock the American Consumer Back to Reality

How are Solar and Oil connected? How can we start relaying the importance of Solar toward our National Security, Energy Security, and Energy Independence to our leaders?

Coal is extremely Oil-energy intensive to mine, process, transport, burn, and dispose of. Thus, as the price of oil increases, so does the cost of coal-produced electricity.

Natural Gas is extremely Oil-energy intensive to extract, process, transport, and burn. Thus, as the price of oil increases, so does the cost of natural-gas-produced electricity.

Nuclear Fuel is extremely Oil-energy intensive to mine, process, transport and secure. The building of a Nuclear Power Plant is extremely Oil energy intensive. Thus, as the price of oil increases, so does the cost of nuclear-produced electricity.

The Sun rises every day on its own and requires no Oil burning to do so. Thus, as the price of Oil increases, the cost of your solar-produced electricity will not increase. The only cost of your solar-generated electricity is the one time up-front cost of the system. Your electricity is no longer tied to the price of Oil. Your electricity purchases are no longer supporting the regimes of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela. You’ve just boosted the National Security of the United States. Thank you.

One response

The cost to produce, transport, install and maintain solar panels would also therefore be dependent on the cost of oil, by similar logic. Mining materials, refining silicone (which is also polluting rivers), rare earth metal mining, batteries containing lithium and other toxins (mined in Bolivia, not our greatest ally), and a number of other oil intensive processes are in solar the same as the other examples listed above.

There are better arguments to be made then this for working to replace oil with solar (electric cars for example, or the more immediate option of solar liquid fuels in the form of methanol or DME for ICE cars)

P.S. – most of our petroleum comes from Canada and Mexico. 36% on average per day in 2010. SA and Venezuela are about 20%, with no direct imports from Iran – though granted some does get mixed into the fuel pool at refining stations in the M.E.